Capital City College alumnus Rohit Chherti to compete in BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals

A former student from Capital City College’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Art is competing in the BBC’s highly acclaimed professional culinary competition.

A former student from Capital City College (CCC) will be participating in the upcoming series of MasterChef: The Professionals.

Rohit Chherti studied at CCC’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts within the college’s Westminster centre, formerly known as Westminster Kingsway College, between 2018 and 2019. During his time at the college, he successfully completed the Craft Guild of Chefs Culinary Arts Level 3 Advanced Diploma.

Originally from New Delhi, Rohit first graduated from university in London with a degree in Computer Engineering but was drawn to the kitchen while working as a waiter in an Italian restaurant. He said: “My mother and grandmother inspired me when I was a child. I grew up in a family that welcomed any number of guests to any occasion or festival, it was all about the food. My mother and grandmother used to prepare and cook food and I got to see the diversity and love that they brought to the table. They expressed love through food, and I saw that from a young age.”

After completing his Culinary Arts Level 3 Advanced Diploma at CCC’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Rohit went on to work at Italian restaurants in and around London, including Le Caprice and Scott’s in Mayfair. He currently works as a sous chef at a private member’s club in London.

Rohit’s cooking style ranges from classical to modern European and includes Italian dishes inspired by the restaurants he has worked in as well as the Indian dishes he grew up with. Despite this eclectic range of influences, his approach to food values simplicity. He said: “I am always more inclined to go with a ‘less is more’ approach to food.”

After years of hard work and deliberation, Rohit finally decided to apply for the BBC competition this year. He said: “I finally plucked up the courage to see where I stand and applied for the competition. I have been planning this for the last five or six years but kept giving up as I was too scared of it not going to plan. I’m now up for the challenge and I’m ready to give it my best.”

A number of CCC alumni have taken part in Masterchef: The Professionals, with three former CCC culinary apprentices taking home the winner’s trophy in recent years. In 2023, the trophy went to Tom Hamblet, in 2022 it was Nikita Pathakji who was crowned winner and in 2020 Alex Webb won the competition.

Rohit is one of 32 ambitious professional chefs taking part in the competition and will begin by going up against three other chefs in the first phase of the competition. The first episode of MasterChef: The Professionals was broadcast on 29 October at 8pm.

CCC’s School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts is committed to innovation and excellence. In addition to providing high-quality training, the school has strong collaborative relationships with various partners in the international hospitality industry, leading chefs’ associations and principal figures from the world of gastronomy.

We wish Rohit the very best in the BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals competition!

If you are interested in exploring and developing your culinary skills take a look at our expert-led Hospitality and Culinary Arts courses and apply today!

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